Tingatinga Painting

In the 1960s a self-taught painter named Edward Said Tingatinga began working in Dar es Salaam with bicycle enamel on squares of hardboard, because that was what he could afford, producing flat, brilliantly coloured pictures of animals, birds and village life with a decorative, patterned quality and a sense of humour. They sold, other artists copied and extended the style, and after his early death the group he had gathered formed a cooperative that still operates, so what began as one man's improvisation has become the most recognisable East African art style, exported worldwide and endlessly imitated on souvenir stalls. At the cooperative in Dar you can watch dozens of painters at work in the open, see the range from tourist-scale animal squares to large, ambitious crowded canvases, and buy directly from the person who painted the picture, which is both cheaper and fairer than buying from a shop.

What you actually see

• Painters at work - the cooperative's artists painting in the open air.
• The classic animal panels - the flat, patterned birds and beasts that define the style.
• The larger narrative canvases - crowded village and market scenes by the senior painters.
• Buying direct - purchasing from the artist rather than a gallery middleman.

When to go

The cooperative works on ordinary weekdays and Saturday mornings, which is when most painters are there; it is quiet on Sundays. Any time of year is fine, as the work is under shade. Allow enough time to look properly before buying, since quality varies widely between artists.

Honest expectations

Quality ranges enormously, from genuinely good painting to fast tourist work churned out by the dozen, and the two hang side by side, so take time and look at who painted what. Prices are negotiable but bargaining hard against an artist for a small sum is poor form. Much of what is sold as Tingatinga elsewhere in the region is mass-produced imitation, which is a good reason to buy at the source.

Nearby

Dar es Salaam's National Museum and fish market are in the city; Bagamoyo is two hours north.